Built for Really Heavy Duty ; Ford's New Pickup Trucks Are Built to Haul Major League Loads

As any movie fan can testify, when the hero is battered and beaten down, he rebounds with renewed strength and determination.

In just such a pickle, the Ford Motor Co. followed the time- honored script with the introduction of its 008 F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks.

These are the big honkers the ones designed to haul heavy loads, sometimes with dual wheels in the back, and to tow impossibly big trailers.

They come in three versions: F-250, F-350 and F-450. The last is the strongest and can be equipped to carry more than three tons of cargo or to tow a trailer weighing up to 24,500 pounds, or more than 12 tons.

That is serious trucking, folks. Ford says these all-new trucks are the most capable ever built by anybody, ever. That obviously could prompt boos and catcalls from Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge. Other naysayers are invited to submit refutations.

It's unlikely that the new Super Duty Pickups, by themselves, can rescue the struggling company. But they lend an aura of, if not invincibility, at least profitability with strength and determination.

Along with the light-duty F-150 pickup, which was completely redesigned for the 2004 model year, these new trucks have the distinction of being the largest-selling vehicles on the planet for 30 years in a row.

Ford sold a total of 798,039 F-Series pickup trucks in 2006, about 40 percent of which were Super Duty models. That was a comedown from the 901,463 sold in 2005 partly the result of increases in fuel prices. But it still qualifies as the world leader.

To anchor the new Super Duty lineup, Ford developed a new, 6.4- liter V8 diesel engine. With twin turbochargers, it boasts of 350 horsepower and a stupefying 650 pounds-feet of torque, which is a measure of low-rev power and is what you need to haul really heavy loads.

Without that thrust, it's doubtful that a pickup could even move off the line towing a 12-ton load. With it, moving off with a 10- or 12-ton trailer still happens in slow motion. But there's no hesitation or strain.

The Super Duty models are, in the main, dual-use trucks. Ford research shows that about three out of ten are strictly work trucks and one out of ten are dedicated to recreational pursuits such as towing house trailers or boats. The remaining 60 percent are used for both work and recreation.

Such a truck was the tested F-250 Lariat Crew Cab four-door. It had all the stuff for hard work: the diesel engine, a 2,830-pound payload, the capability to tow up to 12,500 pounds, four-wheel drive and a cargo box that could easily handle a big load of 4X8 sheets of plywood.

But the test truck also had the King Ranch package, named for the famed 825,000-acre cattle range in Texas. It transforms the F-250 into a truck as posh as almost any luxury car.

The interior resembles everybody's stereotype of the inside of a wealthy cattle rancher's home. The upholstery is rich, dark-brown saddle leather, which also is used to trim the door panels and the steering wheel rim. Polished faux wood, which looks like the real thing, is used to trim the dashboard, and the instruments and cupholders are set off with chrome-trim bezels.

The F-250's exterior styling is, as expected, bold and brawny, with a prominent grille and a front bumper with a step pad to ease under-hood servicing. Louvers on the fender sides extract hot air from the engine compartment.

Out back is one of those innovations that is so obvious you wonder why it wasn't thought of years ago. It's a step that flips down from the opened tailgate, along with a tailgate-mounted staff that pops up vertically and locks in place. It means that no one needs to employ athletic gyrations to climb into the cargo box. You simply grab the staff and step up.

There are other improvements. The diesel engine is quieter, as is the entire cabin, and the tested F-250 handled and rode better than its predecessor and indeed as well as some passenger cars of only a few years ago.

But this is still a beefy truck, so it is unforgiving on rough surfaces. It also weighs in excess of three tons, so don't expect much in the way of fuel economy. Heavy-duty trucks are not rated by the federal government, but you can't expect much more than mileage in the low teens, even with the diesel engine.

The other available engines, which run on gasoline, are a 300- horsepower, 5.4-liter V8 and a 362-horsepower, 6.8-liter V10. All use a five-speed automatic transmission.

The test truck had a base price of $43,360. With the diesel engine and an array of other options, including traction control, a towing package, four-wheel drive, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, navigation system, Sirius satellite radio, adjustable pedals, 20-inch alloy wheels and a power sliding rear window, the tester topped out at a luxury-car price of $57,620.

Of course, it can do a few more things than any luxury car.

Model: 2008 Ford F-250 Lariat King Ranch four-door 4X4 pickup truck.

Engine: 6.4-liter V8 diesel, turbocharged, 350 horsepower, 650 pounds-feet of torque.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic.

Overall length: 20 feet 6 inches.

Cargo box volume: 64 cubic feet.

Towing capability: 12,500 pounds.

Weight: 6,560 pounds.

EPA fuel consumption: N/A.

Base price, including destination charge: $43,360.

Base dealer cost: $39,617.

Price as tested: $57,620.

(c) 2007 Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.